We spent the first 2 hours of our day walking to a museum, the first half hour due to walking in the complete opposite direction. This gave us a real taste for Malawi and what our upcoming month might be like. We’re popular, that’s for sure. We can’t get down a road without being stared at, waved at or talked to, or a collection of all three. The Malawians are excited about our presence and like to know more about us, where we might be going and where we’ve come from. They always mean well, and their big grins light up the place.
We’re staying in a hostel called Doogles with questionable bunk beds spread across 4 dorms, pretty good versions of western food in pasta, pizza, hot chips and burgers and a nice bar, with 1000 Kwacha beers and cider, and 3000 Kwacha cocktails. (AUD $2 and AUD $6).
Blantyre markets were an assault on the senses to say the least. Each step brought on a new smell while squeezing through the small pathway between the stalls, edging past the locals walking around with such confidence. There were clothes for sale, second hand stuff, electronics, fruit and veg and more spices than I knew existed. I managed to buy a small artwork for 1000 Kwacha, which is the equivalent of AUD $2, it’ll be interesting to see if it survives the next year in a backpack.
We didn’t manage to eat any traditional Malawian food, struggling to find places that weren’t sitting on the side of the road in a dodgy looking stall. The area seems to have a lot of Italian influence though, and our diets have consisted of paninis, pizza and pasta, which have been pretty good. It’s a comfort to know that if we get sick of traditional food every night, we have some familiar food from home we can eat.
cavillstravels 